Can an Aspie be athletic??

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John Howard Mixed Martial Arts athlete

At age 33, John Howard finally freed by diagnosis of clinical autism - MMA Fighting

Yes, of course it's possible.

I'm autistic and athletic (as with many others who have already posted in this thread).

Yeah, aspies can be anything if we try hard enough.

Golf fetches 16-year-old autistic boy Bheem award

I take tennis lessons on Saturdays and am showing steady improvements in all areas, including social opportunities. I will be going to the Indian Wells tennis tournament on March 4. I'm so excited! My dream of attending a tennis tournament is actually coming true.

For fine hand eye coronation/fine motor skills. I'm pretty good in radio control car racing. I'm a six time national champion. I've also competed in world championship races as far east as Florida to all the way to Japan.

As far as athleticism goes, I workout at the gym at my local community college three times a week and sprint drills once a week. So I work out four times a week. I can butterfly press 234 pounds, chest press 205 pounds with one single repetition. Leg press 660 pounds. And as far as core exercises go I can stand on one leg while holding two 10 pound medicine balls is in both my hands for 60 seconds on each leg for three sets. I can also plank on two medicine balls with my hands and feet both on the front and rear balls and plank for 60 seconds.

I may not be a distance runner but I am a very fast sprinter for who I am. When I was in high school I ran the hundred meter dash 11.72 seconds. And just recently I ran a track meet in the 60 m dash in 7.86 seconds. I don't know many people on the spectrum who was a sprinter.

I guess I'd give you a little inspiration to say people on the spectrum can be athletic. Maybe not olympic quality but in my opinion butterfly pressing 234 pounds and planking on two balls for 60 seconds and leg press and 660 pounds is no small feat in my opinion.

I spoke too soon. It looks as though my plans to attend the tournament are on hold, if not gone altogether.

It's entirely plausible to be athletic and on the spectrum, to do it professionally as with most other career goals will take strong dedication though, so the heart must be in it. Though no athlete myself, I run 6 days a week and enjoy challenging my physical performance over time. Exercise has always been my ultimate answer to the problem of my depression, too. Running is the only weapon in my menagerie providing a powerful antidepressant effect guaranteed not to slowly deplete over time, as it was with all past medications.

I see no reason why aspies can't be athletic. I don't play sports myself but I do walk a lot and weight train 3 times a week so I'm in reasonable shape. That said, I would like to get my body fat down to at least 15% (it's currently just under 20%) and get a little more muscular then I am now. I'll be trying some new workout regimes and subtle changes to my diet to see if that works.

I played sports all through high school, so yes an Aspie can be athletic. I did however have trouble getting along with teammates, and coaches which made it hard to maintain interest.

Definitely, with one of my cycle tours notching up 1000 miles in two weeks.

Team sports on the other hand? No thank you

In high school I played baseball, football, basketball and soccer. Now I also play tennis, racquetball, golf, and of course I surf. So the stereotype of the clumsy Aspie doesn't fit me. My Aspie dad was a PE major in college. He played college basketball and red-shirted on a college football team. He also tried out for a couple major league baseball teams.

Of course, social life on sports teams was a different matter, for both me and my dad. I got some respect my senior year in high school because I was the kicker on the football team and the ace pitcher on the baseball team. But before that, I was pretty low status.

Now I am sometimes less well regarded for a different reason: I sometimes beat people so badly that they resent me, particularly in racquetball. I once won a church racquetball tournament, and I dominated so much that hardly anyone could even score a point on me. I could tell that people were kinda mad at me for beating them so badly.

I was a varsity cross country runner. I also played hockey and I think I was OK. I was not going to be in the NHL or anything but good enough to compete with other kids. But I definitely missed out on the social aspect. My coaches were always having parties at their house or dinner or something like that for the team. Sometimes I did not even go. It was just too akwerd. I wish I had now because as an adult I realize this was a chance for people to get to know me. They probably liked me.

I am a very athletic person. I play soccer and when I was 12 got obsessed with it and by the time I was 17 I was told that I could play professionally. My only down fall was how nervous and anxious I would get ever time I would play on a new field with new people it would impair my performs and drop my skill level by 60%. Over time I've been told that my presence on the field is very uncomfortable and does not help that I never talk or smile and am very awkward. Either way I still have fun once I get use to the ppl and field, which takes a long time. Hope that I can help give a little insight on the topic.



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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Diagnosis Asperger's Syndrome 2016
Love yourself, Respect yourself